Top Things to Do for Halloween in San Francisco

From tours and parties to special family-friendly events

Thinking about spending this Halloween in San Francisco? Check out a few of these festive attractions to get you in the holiday spirit.

All of these attractions are great for families with kids, but exercise caution when it comes to the spooky stuff and small children.

Fright Fest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

If you come around at night, however, you best beware. Everything is turned upside down through deliciously terrifying scare zones, wandering monsters, delightfully themed entertainment, and the creepiest haunted mazes you could imagine.

The San Francisco Dungeon

If you want to see something truly spooky and horrible this October, head to the San Francisco Dungeon, where the weird and wild of San Francisco’s history come out to play in force.

Wander through several lively exhibits with costumed actors, enjoy amazing recreated historic sites, and be more than a little scared by some of the horrific things going on in these recreations.

SuperNatural Halloween at California Academy of Sciences

From traditional activities like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating to extra surprises like face painting and magic shows, this event has everything that makes Halloween special.

Scientists will also be on hand to demonstrate “spooky” scientific phenomenon and to encourage the educational element of the event.

Halloween Haunt at California’s Great America

Come visit California’s Great America during this truly spooky season of terrors and frights.

Wander through nine mazes and spooky attractions, stumble through three horrifying scare zones, enjoy four live shows, and have a blast on dozens of delightful rides.

The Great Pumpkin Fest at California’s Great America

This is one for the younger kids at California’s Great America. See Planet Snoopy transformed into the gentle Planet Spooky, where kids 12 and under can trick-or-treat with the whole PEANUTs gang in costume.

Various activities include a fun hay maze, creative pumpkin decorating, a play-in-able pumpkin patch, and the chance to watch talented pumpkin-carvers practice their craft.

Monster Bash & Haunted Hornet (USS Hornet)

The USS Hornet will be transformed into a haunted ship, filled with spooky entertainment and festive music. Take the “Haunted Sick Bay” tour and explore some of the creepier areas of this iconic vessel.

Come in costume to be entered into a fun costume contest with a $500 cash prize! There will also be a dedicated Children’s Zone with a festive magician and a kids-only costume contest.

Ghost Tours to Downtown San Francisco

San Francisco has quite the history, and certainly has the ghosts to prove it! There are a wide variety of ghost tours for you to choose from this holiday season, each of which captures something unique about the Bay Area’s haunted happenings.

Take a night tour of Alcatraz and visit one of the eeriest places in America at a particularly eerie time of day!

Or, opt for a Chinatown Ghost Tour for a dose of the Chinese culture and mythology that permeates modern San Franciscan culture.

One of our favorites is the “Haunted Haight” tour, featuring all the spooky supernatural things of the Haight-Ashbury arts district.

Spooktacular Halloween Party (Japantown Peace Plaza)

Kids will be able to enjoy trick-or-treating, festive crafts, and seasonal games, in addition to Halloween décor and artistic displays.

The carnival-like atmosphere continues with additional offerings like a bouncy house, temporary tattoos, and even seasonal face painting. Come in costume!